Satisfied and Happy with your Job?

..then you probably work for a company with Sustainable Values which closely match your own. What Workers Want in 2012, a new investigation carried out by Net Impact, reveals that employees who feel that through their roles they make a positive environmental and social impact experience twice the level of job satisfaction compared to employees who don’t feel they make such an impact.

In difficult economic times, such as those we are currently experiencing, a value-led company could also be better position to survive. Founder of Timewise, Kate Mattison, believes that “Being values-led can give businesses a commercial edge that no branding agency could hope to achieve…We never wobble about our business direction or the decisions we take, because our vision is so focused.”

Sustainable Industries report that companies that are performing less competitively are less likely to have somebody responsible for Sustainability. A further eye-opening fact from Sustainable Industries; competitors in stock performance are out-performed on an average of 25% by leaders in social, environmental and governance policies.

So, you are disillusioned working for anonymous stakeholders and want to make the switch to a company that has integral sustainable values. How do you recognise such a company, what do you need to look out for?

The mission statement should look to support various CS & R fundamentals, such as reducing waste and supporting local communities. Similarly, success can be measured in an abundance of ways – look for an organisation which embeds sustainable values in its bottom line.

Look out for goals – these should feature transparency and targets, with regular reports and audits. Additionally, check for external certification which recognises the companies efforts.

For employees, are their schemes which you can contribute to in order to make a positive social or environmental impact? A sustainable value-led company may promote volunteering or value bottom-up thinking.

Communication should avoid “green-washing”, search for a company which engages with stakeholders through all available channels with honesty, clarity and speed. Read what’s been written about the organisation by other industry insiders, gauge how active, transparent and influential they are in their sector. Your future job satisfaction and work-life happiness may depend on it more than you realise!

To read more, and take note of further key signs you need to look out for when choosing your value-led company, click here

To read the Net Impact, What Worker’s Want 2012 full report, click here

Take a look at the RSB Event programme, see how our Sustainability experts promote Employee Engagement here